Lodha Developers aims to launch IPO in Dec

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Lodha Developers hopes to launch an initial public offering to raise up to 30 billion rupees ($640 million) in December, encouraged by a revival in demand for homes, a top company official said on Wednesday.

The Mumbai-based builder, which focuses on high-end residential apartments in and around India's financial capital, will use the proceeds for retiring debt, to fund fresh land acquisitions and for working capital for existing projects.

"We hope to get approval from the regulator by November-end. We can then launch by mid-December. Otherwise, we will launch by mid-January," Managing Director Abhisheck Lodha told Reuters.

"The size of the company now demands good quality capital for growth."

At least 16 Indian developers have filed papers for public offers in the past two months, looking to raise a total of about $6 billion, following a revival in demand for homes in markets such as Mumbai and New Delhi.

A more than doubling in the main stock since early March has encouraged share-sale plans of cash-strapped Indian real estate firms.

Developers expected to hit the market soon include Emaar MGF, a joint venture between Indian financier MGF and the UAE's Emaar Properties, Sahara Prime City, Oberoi Constructions and Godrej Properties, a unit of Godrej Industries.

Lodha Developers is currently developing 29 million sq ft of space across 38 projects, mostly in Mumbai, and holds debt of 10 billion rupees on its books, the managing director said.

"We are in a sweet spot now -- we are growing well and have a strong brand value. We hope this will be a differentiating factor to attract the best quality investors," Lodha said.

The company, which counts the private equity arm of ICICI Bank and Housing Development Finance Corp and Deutsche Bank as investors in its projects, will look to rope in anchor investors for its IPO.

Lodha reported net profit of 957 million rupees in 2008/09, up 77 percent from the previous year, while income from operations rose almost three-quarters to 9.5 billion rupees, according to its draft prospectus.

It had a net worth of 2.66 billion rupees, translating to 12.21 rupees per share with face value of 5 rupees.

JPMorgan, Citigroup, CLSA, Credit Suisse, Nomura, Enam, Kotak, Global Trustcapital and SBI Capital Markets are the book running lead managers to the issue.

($1=46.6 rupees)

(Editing by Ranjit Gangadharan)

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